Mar. i6, 2007
FEATURES
www.guilfordian.com
Page 9
Greensboro. N.C.
Science of Wine class teaches chemistry, appreciation
Nasimeh Easton | Senior Writer
Imagine this: You're at a weekly wine-tast
ing at a local winery. You're sampling a wide
variety of flavors, picking yom favorites, chat
ting with your friends, and best of all, you're
getting credit for it.
While this may seem an impossible dream
to most college students, to the members of
Marlene McCauley's course "The Science of
Wine," it's nothing more than a homework as
signment.
"How great is it to teach students, imder-
graduates particularly, to appreciate wine and
imderstand it?" said geology professor Mc
Cauley.
This appreciation and imderstanding
comes more through education about the
scientific aspects of wine than actual tastings.
Students are required to taste wine — either at
wineries or by buying the wine themselves —
as part of their homework assignments. Class
time, however, is devoted to the geology and
chemistry involved in the grape growing and
fermentation process.
"We talk about the chemistry of wine," said
McCauley. "We talk about the grape itself and
growing it and the molecular archeology of
figuring out where the first wine came from.
There's a lot of science involved in wine; it's a
science dass."
It certainly is. I sat in on a dass session one
cool, blustery Tuesday night. At 19,1 was the
youngest one in the crowd by far (you must
be 21 to enroll in the course). I foimd myself
astoimded by just how technical and sdentific
wine making is. The process, from grape grow
ing to the final bottling, utilizes concepts from
geology, chemistry, and even some biology.
"There's a lot of stuff that I had no idea had
to even do with wine," said senior John Irwin.
"I feel like I'm really learning."
Not aU dass time is devoted to lecture and
discussion; there's also some very hands-on
learning involved. In labs, for example, stu
dents get an opportunity to apply what they've
learned by actually making their own wine.
"We are following the fermentation pro
cess throughout the semester," said McCaidey.
"There's a lot of chemistry and biochemistiy
happening in the lab."
"It builds confidence to implement dass
concepts (in the lab). It's proof of what you've
learned," said senior Katharine Clark.
One of these labs, the field lab, indudes a
day-long trip to two local vineyards. There,
students get an opportunity to talk to wine
makers and witness the winemaking process
up dose.
"It was interesting to see the actual vine
yard itself," said junior Joe Gillette. "We got
quite an experience."
"We saw two very different winemakers,"
said Clark. "It gave you an idea of how much
leeway there is for individual personality to
come through in wine."
Vineyards are what led McCauley to teach
ing the dass in the first place. About foiu years
ago, she began a mapping research projed in
North Carolina in order to help grape grow
ers seled locations for vineyards. Before long,
McCauley realized the potential of her knowl
edge in a college setting, and the coiurse was
created last year.
"The way research works at Guilford, you
tie it into yoiu teaching," said McCauley. "I
said, 'why can't I teach this as a lab sdence?'
That woiild be fun, I thought. People would
like to take it, and they'd learn something
about wine."
People do like to take it. There are waiting
lists for the dass each semester. And it isn't al
ways to get the necessary lab sdence credit out
of &e way; some take it as an elective.
"I'd already fulfilled my lab
requirement, but the course
soimded like it could be inter
esting," said Gillette. "You learn
something about wine. It's fun."
McCauley finds more value
in teaching the course than just
the academic asped and stu
dents' enjoyment, however.
"We talk about various prob
lems on this campus that arise
when people are drunk and stu
pid," said McCauley. "Can you
minimize that through educa
tion? I maintain that you can."
Students must sign a waiver
at the beginning of the course
stating they will not drink and
drive, as well as agree to com
plete their drinking homework
assignments responsibly and
in moderation. Some students
feel that the course has taught
them about drinking safely in
addition to its more sdentific
aspeds.
"Td only had boxed wine
before. There's only one reason
you drink boxed wine," said
senior John Irwin. "I feel like I
make safer decisions now when
I drink."
"When you have a bottle of
wine, it's a more sodal thing
than other alcohol," said Clark.
"You're not drinking it to get
drunk. It's very different than I thought." tasting and imderstanding its structure," said
The course may be based around sdence McCauley. "You teach a college student about
and education, but McCauley ultimately hopes wine, and how good is that for the rest of their
to leave a lasting impression on students ^at life? It teaches ^em to think about what it is
goes beyond the doors of the dassroom. they're drinking instead of just pounding it
"I educate students on the basics of wine baci."
Morgan Howard/Guilfordian
Students visit vineywards and learn the arts of wine-mak
ing, wine-tasting, and drinking safely..
Vagina: know it, use it, and love it
Adra Cooper | Senior Writer
"Let's just start with the word 'vagjna.'It sounds
like an infection at besf. maybe a medical instru
ment 'Hurry, Nurse, bring me the vagina.'"
This was one of the many great lines of The
Revders' production of "The Vagina Mono
logues," which was performed Feb. 23-25
in Bryan Jr. Auditorium. The all-female
cast performed a compelling series of
monologues covering a variety of issues
tied to one central theme — vaginas.
"When I first began to perfonr
these monologues around the world,
I realized fiiat just saying the word
vagina caused enormous contro
versy, because vagina is, in fact, the
most isolated, reviled word in any
language," said Eve Ensler, writer of
"The Vagina Monologues," on the
Web site www.vday.org.
As reported in The Guilford-
ian, the discomfort surrounding the
content of the play was recently ex
hibited when a woman in Flor
ida re-
"The Hcxihaa Monologues."
Ensler wrote the &st version of "The Vagina
Monologues" in 1996. Based an interviews she con
ducted with200women, the play presents topics of
sexuality, love, menstruation, birth, violence, rape,
d perceptions of the female anatomy.
"My hope is to add a little puzzle piece into
the audience's world view," said senior co-di
rector Sarah Levenscra 'T fed the purpose of
the play is to demystify the vagina."
"The Vagina Monologue^' also works
to raise awareness about violence against
'/omen Annual productions of the
olay like the one at Guilford, raise
noney for V-Day a global move-
rent to stop abuse towards fe
males.
The program has
’sed over $30 mil-
rn to date. This
% \oney has gone
I j organizations
Morgan Howard/Guilfordian
Anna Clark and other Guilford women performed the Vagina Monologues
cjuested a Icxal theatre to change its marquee fium like wcrmen's shdters and rrisis centers. Guilford's
"The Vag^ Monologues" to the more arnbiguous prxxiucticjn this year contributed $1,200 towards
these causes.
Every year a new monologue is ^ded to high
light a current issue affecting women around the
world.
'This year's theme is 'women in conflict zcrr^,'
and there are two brand new mcmolcgues related
to this," said junior co-director Mary Nevin Hob-
good.
"Say It For the Comfort Women," performed
by first-year Allison Martin, sophomore Kat Siladi,
and assistant director of Friends Center Deborah
Shaw, discusses fire 200,000 Korean and Chinese
women who were subjected to sexual slavery by
the Japanese government during World War ff.
The final monologue, "2007 Spotlight Mono
logue," performed by first-year Caroline Floyd,
junior Elizabeth Mehaffey, and junior Chelsea
Simpson, brings up the ir^ustioe of war and how
women can participate in the healing process after
such destruction
While many of the monologues touch on seri
ous issues, several of them also use humor.
'TFs a very smart play for the way it combines
comedy and scxial awareness," Levenscm said.
For example, "Angry Vagina," performed by
junior Kathrin Gilbert discusses the ir^ustices of
the vagina, such as tampons and those feared visits
to the gynecologist
Al^, "Woman who Loved to Make Vaginas
Flappy," performed by sophomore Caitlin Men,
is told fixin the perspective of a sex worker who
only works with other women The monologue
involves impressions of tiie many different types of
moans and orgasms that die has become familiar
with through her work.
While the monologues provoke conscious
ness about women's issues, some of the audience
members might have found it "a little unsettling,"
asLevensonputit
"(The play) is abrasive, but it raises awareness
while also rebuilding peace and community,"
HobgcxxJ said. 'It's important to put the violence
against women into context for campus. The play
shows how these issues affect women, even at
Guilford."
"The Vagina Morxrlcgues" doesnot justeducate
its audience but its cast as well
"Participating in the play becomes a scxial build
ing (activity)," Levenson said. 'Tt is a gathering of
storytelling."
The cast at Guilford consisted of a diverse group
of women; they were all of different ages, races, and
backgrounds. Also, the m^rity of the cast did not
have previous fiieatre experience.
"The cast is diverse, and it's a great opportunity
for girls to meet eacii other," Hobgocxi said. "Even if
it's just a performanoe, it represents the diversity of
women on campus."
Overall ff»e production exhibited the power of
theatre in inspiring activism and education.
'1 did not reali^ tile full potential and viability of
the theater whenibegan'The VaginaMonologues,"'
Ensler said on www.vday.org. 'Thad certainty expe
rienced tile magic and the power before^ but I had
yet to understand its... ability to... empower peo
pte on the deepest political and spiritual levels."